Vote of no confidence process
3rd November 2020
A vote of no confidence (VONC) in the Chief Minister, Senator John Le
Fondré, was lodged yesterday by the President of the Scrutiny Liaison
Committee, Senator Kristina Moore. The standard process is that States Members
will debate and vote on the VONC in two weeks (the standard lodging period), although
it is possible for the Assembly to agree for this debate to take place sooner.
As part of the
debate, the Chief Minister will have the opportunity to answer questions and
make a statement about his position. If the majority of States Members vote against
the VONC, the Chief Minister will remain in post.
Should the majority
of Members vote in favour of the VONC it would trigger the start of the process
whereby the Chief Minister and his Council of Ministers ‘fall’ from power,
however they would remain in position until a new Chief Minister and Council of
Ministers have been appointed.
Following a
successful vote of no confidence in the Chief Minister, any States Member, with
a minimum of six other Members supporting them, can present their strategic
vision and intention to be considered for the role of Chief Minister. This
opportunity remains open for a minimum of five clear working days.
At the next meeting
of the States Assembly, the prospective candidates are given the opportunity to
present their strategic vision and answer questions from fellow Members. The
next Chief Minister would then be decided upon by a vote by States Members. To
be successful, a candidate must receive at least half the votes cast. Should
only one Member come forward as a candidate they would be appointed without a
vote.
The successful candidate then becomes Chief Minister Designate. The
States Assembly then meets again within two clear working days to appoint
ministers, at which point, the current Ministers and Assistant Ministers would
‘fall’ immediately and the new Council of Ministers would come into being.
Back to news